Seat structure



C. S. REED SEAT S TRUCTURE Aug. 8, 1939 Filed Dec. 9, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 gmmm CVm'r 5. Reed BMW 1 8, 1939 c. s. REED 2,169,197

SEAT S TRUCTURE Filed Dec. 9, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 amen (0T1 C/a/r 5. Reed Aug. 8, 1939 REED 2,169,197

SEAT STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 9, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 amt/whom C/a/r 5. Reed Patented Aug. 8, 1939 SEAT STRUCTURE Clair S. Reed, Jackson, Mich, assignor to Reynolds Spring Company, Jackson, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Application December 9. 1935, Serial No. 53,537

3 Claims.

This invention relates to seat structures and more particularly to a unitary framework for receiving cushion springs and upholstery in auto-- motive vehicle seats and furniture.

providing surfaces to which upholstery may be tacked in the well known manner. The member 5 is shown particularly in cross section in Fig. 2 and comprises a rolled sheet metal tubular 5 Recent commercial constructions for receiving member 6 having on each side thereof rows of 5 the cushion springs in automotive vehicle seats perforations '1. Within the tubular member and furniture have comprised heavy, bulky frameis disposed a wood, fiber or other usual tack re works constructed of wood and sheet metal. The ceiving filling 8. It will be obvious that tacks Wood framework was used not only for providing passing through the perforations i may be driver.

bodily strength but also because it provided a into the filling 8 in the usual manner. 10 tacking surface. The present invention over As shown particularly in Fig. 2 the of the coming the bulkiness and weight of the prior sheet metal forming the tubing ES are brought tostructures and yet retaining its advantages of gether at one corner of the tubing 6 and extend. strength and its tacking surface, consists of in parallel contacting relation one end overlapframework for the bottom and back cushion ping the end of the other to secure the two edges 15 springs made of a novel composite structural together providing a flange t. The flange :1 may border member and transverse members, the rehave the fiat configuration shown or some other. sult being an inexpensive, light weight and prac- The purpose of the flange 9 is essentially iwotical construction. It is particularly useful for fold. It stiifens the member 5 of course.

front seats in automotive vehicles which are adthereby the entire frame I. Furthermore. the 20 justable relative to the dash but it is not limflange 9 provides a ledge to which. are secured ited to this use. spaced crossed wires if] forming cushion spring An object of the invention is to eliminate the supports. The wires It are preferably spot conventional heavy sheet metal and wood frame- Welded to the flanges 9 and to each other at their work by providing a light metal framework do intersections. The specific crossed wires disclosed L5 signed to have the back and seat cushion springs are not essential to the invention it being underbuilt into the framework, the entire structure stood that other suitable cushion spring supports to be upholstered as a unit. might be used and supported by and secured to Another object of the invention is to provide the flanges 9. In addition to the crossed wire a seat structure bordered by a novel rolled comstructure both the bottom and back frames 3Q posite structural member formed to give the and 3 are provided with relatively heavy interproper contour to the construction. mediate bars !5 for the purpose of strengthening A further object of the invention is to provide the respective frames and providing intermea novel tacking strip comprised of substandiate supports for the crossed wire structure.

tially hollow perforated sheet metal having a The back frame 3 has side pieces is, roughly suitable tack receiving filler, and an extending in the form of T-bars for r y, Which a flange providing stiffening a support to tended downwardly providing legs 2? suitably sewhich other members may be welded or otherwise cured to the back corners of the bottom frame suitably secured. 2 as shown in Fig. 3. The section of the mem- These and other objects *1 ill be apparent from ber 5 constituting the top edge of the back frame 40 the following specification when taken with the 3 is extended downwardly and forwardly on accompanying drawings in which: each side providing arms l8 which are respecl is a perspective View of a vehicle seat tively connected in asuitable manner to the tackframework disclosing the bottom, back and side ing strips 5 constituting sides of the bot om frames, frame 2. Intermediate support is given to the 45 Fig. 2 is a cross section of the tacking strip, arms 18 by the tying bars i9 connecting the arms Figs. 3, 4 and 5 disclose enlarged details of varl8 with the sides It of the back frame 3 at the ious portions of the assembled framework of junctions of the tacking strip 5 constituting the Fig. 1, bottom edge of the back frame 3. Fig. 4 discloses Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the framework an enlarged detail of the tying bar l9 and its 50 of Fig. 1 having cushion springs built therein, the connections to the back frame 3 and the arm entire unit being upholstered, and I8, and Fig. 5 discloses an enlarged detail of the Fig. '7 is a perspective view of a chair frame. connection of an arm IS with a side of the Referring particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings bottom frame 2.

the frame I for receiving spring cushions is com- After the front, back and side frames, as dis- 55 posed entirely of metal. The frame 1 consists closed in Fig. 1, have been assembled. cushion broadly of a bottom frame 2, back frame 3 and springs 28 and 2! are mounted on the bottom side frames 4. Each of the frames comprises, frame 2 and the back frame 3, respectively. The as a structural part thereof, a composite memcushion spring 29 is of any suitable design havber 5 defining the contour of said frame and ing and including fabric encased coil springs 22 60 of the Marshall type, padding 23 and an enclosing cover 24 tacked to the member comprising the border of the bottom frame. The cushion spring 2| includes coil springs 3!], padding 3| and a cover 32 suitably secured to the memher 5 of the back frame 3. The back is enclosed with a suitable panel 33. An additional cover 34 is provided filling in the space between the bottom of the back frame 3 and the bottom frame 2. The specific cushion springs 28 and 2! of Fig. 6 and the specific method of securing them to the respective frames are not included by the present invention but are merely disclosed for the purpose of illustrating the use of the frame structure which constitutes the invention, and the completed. construction. The present invention has particular utility in front seats for automotive vehicles which are mounted for adjustment relative to the dash board of the vehicle. However, it is not intended that the invention be so limited for it also has application in the back seats of automotive vehicles and in furniture.

An illustration of an article of furniture which may be constructed in accordance with the present invention is disclosed in Fig. 7. As will be obvious the construction of Fig. '7 is very simliar to that of the vehicle seat frame disclosed in Fig. 1. There are provided a bottom frame 35,'a back frame 36 and side frames 31, each of the frames being substantially bordered by sections of the composite member 5. The side frames 31 are in effect arm frames and in the form disclosed are provided with crossed wire structures 38 on which, if desired, may be mounted spring cushion structures. The arms, however, need not be as illustrated but may take other forms depending on the type of chair desired. In addition to serving as arms the side frames also serve as supports bracing the bottom frame 35 and the back frame 36 one from the other.

Supplementary side frames 39 defined by the vertically disposed sections of the member 5 adjacent the back frame 35, and the supporting bars 40 not only serve to provide a desired shape but also provide rigidity and support for the back frame 36 with respect to the bottom frame 35. The bottom frame 35 and the back frame 36 are provided with crossed wire structures 4| and 42, respectively, and the entire framework is provided with such bracing members as may be de sired as for instance 43, 44 and 45. In this embodiment of the invention as well as that of Fig. 1 the crossed wire structures, namely, 38, 4| and 42 are spot welded or otherwise suitably secured to the flanges 9 of the sections of the member 5. The chair is completed by mounting the framework on appropriate legs 46. mounting cushion springs on the bottom frame 35 and the back frame 35, and upholstering.

It will be observed that the invention provides a simple light weight structure for replacing the bulky, heavy, wood and sheet metal framework heretofore used for similar purposes. The invention also includes the construction of the composite sheet metal and fibrous structural member 5 offering tacking surfaces in relatively disposed planes, the flange of which not only provides a desirable degree of stiffening but also provides a portion to which the cushion spring supports may be readily spot welded, or otherwise suitably secured.

Having thus described my invention what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A light weight seat frame for automobiles, furniture and the like, comprising a horizontal bottom framework and a vertical back framework, means for rigidly maintaining said frameworks in definite spaced relation, said frameworks being defined by border structural frame members and transverse frame members extending between the sides of said border members, said border frame members comprising elongated sheet metal and twisted paper strips rolled one upon the other, the major portion of the width of said sheet metal strip juxtaposed upon the surface of said paper strip, said twisted paper strip being exposed to receive tacks in the upholstering of said seat frame, both said paper strip and metal strip being relatively rigid so as to provide a light yet relatively rigid composite structural member, said composite member in cross-section being of substantially equal horizontal and vertical dimension so as to give sufficient rigidity of support to loads supported by the seat frame during use, the cross-section of said composite member being such as to enable the same to be shaped through substantially 90 to provide corners for said border frame from continuous sections of said composite member and to permit the same to be readily shaped to provide any desired contour of the seat frame.

2. A front seat frame for automobiles comprising a substantially rectangular bottom frame upon which the seat springs of the cushion are adapted to be directly supported, said bottom frame having a border comprising a continuous composite structural member of rolled sheet metal and fibrous material, a back frame comprising metal vertical columns anchored at the lower ends to said bottom frame, a second similar continuous composite structural member fastened at its opposite ends to the opposite sides of said bottom frame extending upwardly and rearwardly to define side frames with the intermediate section thereof constituting the upper border of said back frame, a third similar continuous composite structural member forming the lower edge of said back frame, metal rods supported from said composite members defining said back and bottom frames to form a reticular framework for said back and bottom frames. to impart rigidity thereto and to provide supporting surfaces for the back and seat cushions, the fibrous material of said composite members being exposed at intervals to receive fastening instrumentalities during the upholstering of said seat frame.

3. A front seat frame for automobiles, comprising a substantially rectangular bottom frame upon which the seat frame of the cushions are adapted to be directly supported, a back frame including vertical columns anchored at their lower ends to said bottom frame, a frame fastened at its opposite ends to the opposite sides of said bottom frame extending upwardly and rearwardly, the intermediate section thereof constituting the upper border of said back frame, a member forming the lower edge of said back frame, metal rods supported from said back and bottom frame to form a reticular framework for said back and bottom frame to impart rigidity thereto and to provide supporting surfaces for the back and seat cushions.

CLAIR S. REED. 

